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Developer Insight- Did you hear that?



Hunters,

We’ve noticed that a lot of you are interested in how the audio systems work in Hunt: Showdown 1896. With the help of our audio engineers, we have compiled the guide below to answer some of your most frequently asked questions regarding how we give you the best audio experience possible.

Some of the changes that are coming with Update 2.4 are improvements to silent/missing footsteps, a revised vertical footstep audio design, gunshot distance readability, and more! We look forward to sharing more about the new update and what it means for your audio experience soon.

[h2]FAQ: What is CrySpatial?[/h2]

CrySpatial is our 3D audio solution designed specifically for Hunt. Implemented back in 2019, it’s our recommended spatial audio solution when playing the game.

CrySpatial uses HRTF (Head-Related-Transfer-Function) for its 3D audio positioning and is directly integrated into the game, enabling players to hear if certain sounds are coming from behind, in front of, above, or below them. (Just a friendly reminder that CrySpatial or any other spatial audio solution does not handle the way sounds are attenuated over a distance or while being occluded by objects.)

While CrySpatial has been a part of Hunt since its release, we added an option for players to disable it with the launch of Hunt: Showdown 1896.

To experience CrySpatial (recommended):
  • Use stereo headphones
  • Activate CrySpatial in the Audio Settings (this can be done during a Mission or in the Main Menu) and hit the Apply button.
  • Ensure you deactivate any additional audio enhancements
  • Ensure any Virtual Surround/Room Correction features are deactivated on your system and headphone-specific drivers


for Windows 10:
  • Right-click the speaker icon in your taskbar/system tray
  • Select “Spatial sound” and set it to “Off”


for Windows 11:
  • Open System -> Sound Settings
  • Open your Output Device’s properties by clicking on the arrow on the side


for Xbox Series X|S:
  • In your Xbox Series S/X settings in the General tab, select “Volume & audio output”
  • Change the “Headset format” to “Stereo uncompressed”


for PlayStation 5:
  • Open your consoles settings -> Open the Sound Settings
  • In the 3D Audio (Headphones) Settings, deactivate the option “Enable 3D Audio for Headphones”


[h3]FAQ: If CrySpatial is so important, why can users deactivate it?[/h3]

The core function of any binaural plugin is the Head-Related-Transfer-Function (HRTF). It is a set of audio filters that emulate how sound physically interacts with your body, head, and pinnae, which is unique for every person.

CrySpatial's carefully designed filters work well for most people, but the sound might be perceived in a slightly different way by every person. Hence, CrySpatial's filtering might not fit perfectly to how certain ear shapes perceive the sounds in the world around them. If you’re interested in learning more, you can read up about HRFT and binaural audio here:

With the release of Hunt: Showdown 1896, we wanted to give players more freedom and flexibility to choose what 3D audio format they want to experience while playing Hunt.

To achieve this, we’ve updated Hunt’s audio system to support additional spatial audio solutions that can pick up Hunt’s audio output and render it using other sets of filters. This means that we can now offer support for spatial audio solutions like Dolby Atmos, Windows Sonic, DTS:X, and Sony’s own 3D audio for headphones solution on PS5.

Good to know: While CrySpatial and other spatial audio solutions help you hear from which direction a sound is coming from (above, behind, etc), they do not influence the way sound is occluded by objects or how it behaves over a distance. This part of the audio experience is handled by the game independently from the selected spatial audio solution.

[h3]FAQ: What happens if I turn off CrySpatial without activating any other spatial audio solutions on my platform?[/h3]

If CrySpatial is turned off without using any other spatial audio solutions like Dolby Atmos, Windows Sonic, etc., then you’ll hear plain stereo or surround sound depending on your speaker setup. This means that all spatial audio enhancements will be lost, and you’ll have a hard time judging if sounds are coming from above or below you, as well as if something is in front or behind you. That’s why we recommend using a spatial audio solution at all times—it is crucial to getting the best Hunt experience.


[h3]FAQ: If I play Hunt with stereo headphones, what in-game settings should I use?[/h3]

We would recommend that you set your Audio Settings to the following:
Audio Configuration: Headphones
CrySpatial: On

After turning CrySpatial on, make sure to play a few Missions in Hunt. It takes some time for your ears to get accustomed to the audio processing applied by CrySpatial, especially if you are new to Hunt and aren't used to how CrySpatial sounds. Like any other tool, it can take time to learn how it feels and how to use it.


[h3]FAQ: How does surround sound impact CrySpatial audio, and should players have 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound enabled while playing Hunt?[/h3]

While we generally recommend playing Hunt on headphones in Stereo (2.0) with CrySpatial active, there might be cases where players have a surround sound setup at home. In that case, playing the game in 5.1 or 7.1 on speakers can be a desirable scenario. If you have a setup like this, then please set your configuration to ‘Speakers’ in your game’s Audio Settings which will disable CrySpatial. This ensures that the game can make the best use of your surround sound setup.

[h3]FAQ: What's the problem with having all possible sound enhancements enabled?[/h3]

This heavily depends on the ‘sound enhancement.’ Additional sound virtualization (e.g. 3D audio effects, surround sound effects from headphone drivers, etc.) should be prevented as much as possible while using CrySpatial, as these effects can apply similar audio processing on top of CrySpatial, resulting in broken audio.

Applying additional effects (like EQs) can also lead to other unforeseen consequences, and should be applied with caution.



If you have any further questions regarding the audio of Hunt, please don’t hesitate to message us on socials. We will be monitoring your questions and comments with the intention to write another guide in the future if there is enough interest.

Keep an ear out,
Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 Audio Team